EST.1728
There are almost three hundred year’s of stories buried in our walls.
Once the host to visiting heads of state, sea admirals, noblemen, merchants and seafarers, the Purty Kitchen, Dun Laoghaire’s oldest surviving premises, is today continuing a rich tradition in the social history of the Dublin licensed trade. We look forward to welcoming you to our vibrant kitchen, bar and live event loft.
Events at the Purty Kitchen
We look forward to welcoming you back to live events at the Purty Kitchen over the coming months. Please keep an eye on our social pages for updates.
Our history
From the 18th century onwards …
Dunleary was a veritable haven for ships awaiting entry to Dublin Bay. Though the roads were rocky, narrow and winding, there was a considerable volume of coach traffic journeying between Blackrock and Dunleary, particularly during the summer months.
Wherever there was coach travel, there was a great necessity for Inns to accommodate and provide sustenance to the weary pilgrims of commerce and so was the starting point for the Purty Kitchen in 1728. The original inn, a thatched roof makeshift edifice constructed of clay, straw and wood, housed coach travellers overnight providing food, warmth and potent ales and wines. There was a large livery yard to the rear where horses were fed, rested and exchanged. Common to other coaching inns, the innkeepers would have kept many farm animals: pigs, hens, ducks, geese and cattle, which were then slaughtered for consumption at the inn. For the first 40 years of its existence this house was known at different times as the Old Dunleary Inn and The Mariner’s Inn.
There is speculation about how the bar acquired it’s current name ‘The Purty Kitchen’. The local narrative is that an American visitor, who had embarked at Kingstown port, walked up to the door of no. 4 and said to the proprietress, “Say Mamm, you sure have a mighty purty kitchen.” Whatever the origin of the name, we do know the premises in this era once again established a very viable food and drinks business attracting custom from voyagers, visitors, commercial travellers and local residents alike.